Highlights from Superintendent Woods' Interview with the Marietta Daily Journal...

On the over-standardization of education: “If we were manufacturing machine parts, it would be great,” he said in a Thursday interview with the Marietta Daily Journal.

“But anyone who has been around children knows that … they’re individual works of art.”

On dual enrollment and graduation:

Woods said he’d like to see students have the ability to graduate early and with job certifications in addition to a Georgia high school diploma.

“I think that a combination of things — whether they’re graduating early or graduating with something more than just a diploma — will go a long way in enhancing the educational experience for our kids,” Woods said.“Basically, we said every child will take the same math, they’ll take the same English, they’ll take the same science and it just went down the line.”

He said an example of course flexibility he’d like to see is allow students to take a computer science class that would count as a core math course.

On literacy and focusing on the foundation:Woods said the key is to go back to the K-5 years and work on the foundation of education.

“Literacy is something very key,” he said. “If you look at the data out there, there’s almost a one-to-one correlation between opportunity and educational success based on literacy.”

On a measured approach to leadership:

“Everything we do, I want to assure people it’ll be measured and it’ll be well thought out,” Woods said. “We’re not going to come in … and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to get rid of everything and start from scratch.’ We’re going to evaluate the merits of everything that’s out there.

On making the move from STEM to STEAM:

He also said he’d like to change the model from STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — to STEAM by adding an art component.